New surgical robot makes it easier to perform complicated surgeries (video)

Those who visited our Expand events in San Francisco and New York last year already know that Intuitive Surgical’s da Vinci robot allows for minimally invasive surgery while still giving doctors the kind of dexterity and control they need to do the job. However, the current iteration of the system, the da Vinci Si, is only optimal when targeting a small, focused area. If the surgeon wants to explore a different part of the body mid-operation, he or she would need to reposition the entire apparatus, which sometimes means driving the patient cart around to the other side or having to wedge the da Vinci base in between the patient’s legs. Today, however, Intuitive Surgical has announced the da Vinci Xi, a brand new surgical robot that promises to make it a lot easier for surgeons to perform exactly those kinds of complex surgeries.

Indeed, the big feature of the Xi is that it has four arms mounted onto an overhead boom architecture that can rotate and pivot into virtually any position. The arms can even be disconnected and reconnected mid-procedure if the doctors feel like swapping them around. According to Sal Brogna, the company’s Senior Vice President of product development, a surgeon could disconnect the arm, rotate the whole boom a 180 degrees and reattach it in just a minute or two. Further, the endoscope used to see what’s inside the body is far easier to set up and supposedly delivers sharper and more defined three-dimensional images. It can also now be attached to any arm, which lets the surgeon scope out the surgical area with more flexibility. The arms of the da Vinci themselves are now smaller, thinner and have a greater range of motion. Even the instrument shafts — the sleeves that are inserted inside the incision — are longer so that surgeons can probe further than before.

“Say a surgeon is removing cancer in the uterus… He or she might need to explore other areas like near the diaphragm, or the stomach… there are different sites where the cancer is likely to spread,” says Brogna in an interview with us. “With the new robot, you can now excise that cancer right in the same procedure.” He adds, “Our goal is to take away the barriers from using this technology. We’re removing steps and complications where we can.” As the FDA has just granted clearance to the da Vinci Xi, you probably won’t see it in your local hospital any time soon. However, if you want to get an even better idea of what the da Vinci Xi can do, feel free to have a peek at the company-provided video below.

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Source: Intuitive Surgical

This is not a prank: ThinkGeek and the business of April Fools’

Snow was falling in the form of those soft white, potato-flake chunks you usually see in films. I’d barely finished my morning cup of coffee and without that crucial mental aid, I was having a hard time finding the entrance to ThinkGeek’s ranch-style headquarters in Fairfax, Va. In the blur of 8:57 AM on a Tuesday in this winter-like spring, every window of the sprawling complex looked like a door to me. So I chose one and, miraculously, was spotted by Chris Mindel, a senior buyer for the company, who let me and my videographer inside the toy-filled halls. It was then I noticed the sign on the open door and burst out laughing. It read: “This is not the door you’re looking for.”

I’d had Willy Wonka on the brain before, but it was clear now I needed to switch, or at least integrate, gears. This was well-informed geek territory I was treading upon — hallowed Star Wars-quoting superfan territory — and I’d just been granted a one-day golden ticket to explore it.

I’d made the trek from New York to the DC area to get an inside look at ThinkGeek’s long-standing April Fools’ Day tradition. The company, which normally sells meme-, sci-fi- and geek culture-infused novelty products, like its Star Wars lightsaber chopsticks, does something somewhat different for that one prank-filled day of the year. Months in advance, the gleefully mad elves (or Oompa-Loompas, I couldn’t decide) of ThinkGeek toil exhaustively to create joke products, often the stuff of fanboy/girl dreams, for “sale” on its retail site; things like Mr. Beard, a repurposed Keurig that administers spray-on facial hair, or the Flux Capacitor Car Charger.

There was that one incident where the National Pork Board took issue with ThinkGeek labeling its Unicorn Meat as the new white meat

Those well-meaning jokes also tend to straddle a legal gray area with established licenses and corporate entities. There was that one incident where the National Pork Board took issue with ThinkGeek labeling its Unicorn Meat as the new white meat — an obvious play on the other white meat. Happily though, that cease and desist ended amicably and generated plenty of publicity for both ThinkGeek and the National Pork Board. But it’s all good-natured, as Ty Liotta, VP of the company’s in-house product development group, or Geeklabs, pointed out to me. “We feel that for April Fools’ we can take a little bit of … creative liberties with the licenses because it’s going to be fun.”

ThinkGeek’s never incurred the full wrath of corporate lawyerdom for its whimsical April Fools’ creations. By that I mean they’ve never quite been sued for infringing upon a license. Somewhat counterintuitively, these one-day-a-year, well-meaning infractions helped ThinkGeek’s licensing business go legit. They’re responsible for establishing and solidifying the company’s treasure trove of licenses and line of branded products.

In fact, the company’s licensing business actually got its major kickoff from a group of Lucasfilm employees that really wanted to see the Star Wars Tauntaun sleeping bag, an April Fools’ gag from 2009, made into a real product for purchase. The sleeping bag, inspired by a pivotal scene wherein Luke Skywalker is stuffed into the carcass of the beast for shelter, is a massively popular item that’s still sold today. Thanks to that geek-culture enthusiasm, the proper corporate connections were made and now, Lucasfilm counts as just one of the dozen-plus big-name licenses in ThinkGeek’s arsenal.

Need a collection of Game of Thrones House Sigil wine charms for your dinner party? Or perhaps a Minecraft foam pickaxe is more your speed? Both items are not only real; they’re also up for order on ThinkGeek’s site. No matter the niche proclivity, ThinkGeek has a little something for every manner of nerd. After all, this is a company that sorts employees into Hogwarts houses as part of a team-building exercise; that instructs newly hired employees to fill out a document detailing their geek expertise; that labels its main meeting room “The Boredroom of Doom,” and its buyer floor as “Bartertown.” The nerd force is strong with these folks.

No matter the niche proclivity, ThinkGeek has a little something for every manner of nerd

Willy Yonkers, ThinkGeek’s industrial designer, is the maker force behind the company’s fanciful creations. He’s the sawdust-covered employee, oftentimes cloaked in protective goggles and face mask, who figures out how to bring these fake products from the smoke-and-mirrors style of production to a solid prototype that could be shown to clients. It’s his dedication to bringing a level of polish to ThinkGeek’s overall product lineup that’s helped the company not only rely less on Photoshop to achieve its April Fools’ vision, but also get those products closer to a “pre-engineered CAD state” for actual manufacture should they make the cut.

The NERF Nuke, one of ThinkGeek’s standout April Fools’ creations this year, is something Yonkers would love to see go from joke concept to retail product. The familiar-looking, orange and yellow nuke is an extreme take on NERF’s history of foam-based artillery. It’s a nuclear bomb outfitted with suction-cup darts and, unfortunately, it’s not a working prototype — not now, anyway. “It could be done,” Yonkers admitted, “but we’ll have to see if there’s enough interest in making that one into a real thing.” To gauge that April Fools’ interest, ThinkGeek looks to metrics like page views and referrals, but also lets customers directly vote from each gag product’s order page.

Among this year’s April Fools’ crop, about four products owe their existence to 3D printing, of which the Unicorn Drinking Horn and Das Can-in-Stein (a beer-can holder in the shape of a stein) are two prime examples. It’s a practice that began with, unsurprisingly, Star Wars. Although this time, it was lightsaber popsicles, and not the comfortable innards of a deceased beast of fantasy, that kicked off a new method of production. ThinkGeek does have its own 3D printer — a 3D Systems CubeX Duo — tucked away in a closet of its “Room of Requirement,” aka the maker office that’s home to Yonkers and electrical engineer Hilary Hoops, the lady responsible for the incredibly popular Technomancer Digital Wizard Hoodie. But since that 3D printer can only handle low-res, low-quality parts, ThinkGeek’s design team usually turns to companies like Shapeways and Quickparts for production.

Among this year’s April Fools’ crop, about four products owe their existence to 3D printing

Liotta told me that the bulk of ThinkGeek’s core customers are, by now, well aware of the company’s annual April Fools’ joke, saying, “They’re just waiting to see what we’re going to do just because they want to be entertained by whatever it is.” It’s the element of surprise and invention, sometimes helped by piggybacking on a borrowed license, that keeps people coming back. But those customers also have an end goal in sight: They’re returning to see if any of these products make it to retail.

That anticipation’s great for the company’s morale (and bottom line), but it also makes this two-month race to April Fools’ production all the more stressful for ThinkGeek’s staff of affable, renegade elves. It’s an admittedly good problem to have, but one that’s compounded by the level of noise generated by other companies that participate in that day of tech tomfoolery. “Originally, when we were doing it, it was really easy to stand out,” Liotta explained. “And over the years, it’s become much more challenging because people do amazing things for April Fools’.” That may be true, but judging from this year’s lineup, I’d say Liotta and his crew have a sure shot at cutting through the clutter and bringing a smile to even the most cynical of April Fools’ observers. Myself included.

By 5 PM, the snow had stopped falling, leaving the slippery asphalt beneath my feet and the piles of accumulated fluff on nearby cars as the only remnants of that dream-like morning. Somewhere inside the ThinkGeek office, there was a Tauntaun sleeping bag that needed drying off — we’d used it for an outside shoot earlier that afternoon since the surrounding environs loosely resembled Hoth. But that fond moment of playtime was firmly in the past. My all-access pass to ThinkGeek HQ had come to a close and it was now time to return to my comparatively less magical, less fun life in New York.

On the train ride back, I couldn’t stop reflecting on the day I’d spent submerged in ThinkGeek’s think tank of nerdcore creation. How could I easily explain to my friends that special environment, that zany day care where the adults get paid to play and create? The best I could come up with was this: “It’s like what would happen if Santa’s elves, who all knew the entire history of Doctor Who, decided to go rogue, jump ship from the North Pole and set up a boutique shop just outside of D.C.” Even that, though, couldn’t quite capture and convey the magic contained within ThinkGeek’s halls.

But that wasn’t all I had on my mind as I watched the scenery zip by from the train’s quiet car. I had Willy Wonka on the brain… again and in particular, this sing-song quote:

A little nonsense now and then is relished by the wisest men.

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Here’s a look at ThinkGeek’s 2014 April Fools’ products

Those of you with the appropriate geek cred know the score by now. Every year on April 1st, ThinkGeek, purveyor of nerdy novelty delights, takes part in the “I fooled you, internets” game. But unlike other April Fools’ pranksters, ThinkGeek’s products have a shot at becoming more than just joke fodder; they sometimes become real. Okay, so maybe the spray-on facial hair power of Mr. Beard up there is a bit of a stretch. (But hey, once upon a time, so was the idea of spray-on tans.)

Join us after the break then for a whimsical walk through ThinkGeek’s 2014 April Fools’ lineup.

Travel back in time (to the ’80s) and juice up your gadgets with the Flux Capacitor Car Charger (Lightning not required.)

The Tactical Necktie: redefining business casual for boardroom ninjas since 2014

Make every month Movember with Mr. Beard’s spray-on staches.

Cheap beer + Das Can-in-Stein = the classy way to get your PBR on.

From the Mariah Carey for QVC champagne flute collection: the Unicorn Drinking Horn.

Drop this Nerf Nuke bomb and it’s literally ‘Game Over.’

The Enterprise Flying Disc: Boldly going wherever you throw it

True story: we went to Junior High with a kid who taught himself Klingon. This Rosetta Stone’s for him.

The next best thing to casting spells with an Arch Mage wand is lighting them with LEDs.

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LifeLink, the world’s thinnest micro-usb cable[Review]

We’ve all been there.  That moment when your phone is dying and your charging cable is nowhere to be found.  That moment when you want to share some photos and your parent’s have no idea what a micro-usb cable even is.  Well today, you don’t have to be there any more.  PlusUs has recently announced the thinnest charging/sync cable I have ever seen, the LifeLink.

Reigning in at just 1/10 of an inch thick (2 credit cards), LifeLink is an excellent solution to carrying around a cable when you need it the most.  The cable is encased in a highly durable Teflon mold that protects the cable. In the middle of the cable lies a spring which allows you to bend the cable in any direction you need to.  When you are not using the cable, it conveniently snaps together from its original length of 7 inches to roughly 3.5 inches.

After using the cable for about a week, I discovered how convenient it really is.  I despise putting a 3ft long cable into my pocket so I can get a quick charge during the day or transferring data between my phone and office computer.  Having the LifeLink has been a real plus for me and it also makes me feel good that for every LifeLink PlusUs sells, they will donate to a charity of your choice: education for children, shelter for a family, or water for a community.

The LifeLink comes in three models: Micro-USB, Lightning (current Apple devices), and 30-Pin connector (older Apple devices) which will cost roughly $24 + Shipping ($5 worldwide or $8 worldwide with tracking) for the micro-usb or an additional $2 for the Lightning model.  You can also choose between either gray or a white color.  The cable is currently for pre-order at LifeLink’s website and ships early 2014.

The post LifeLink, the world’s thinnest micro-usb cable[Review] appeared first on AndroidGuys.

Equity Release Versus Downsizing: What’s Right For You

Faced with retirement on a poorly performing pension, lots of us are looking for ways to access extra cash in our golden years. The common phrase describing retirees is “asset rich but cash poor”. This describes the fact that your bank balance might be dwindling but you have wealth built up in your home.

If you have spent years making monthly mortgage payments, your property might hold the key to a more affluent retirement. Your house is probably your biggest asset and there are two ways you can unlock its potential – downsizing and equity release.

Downsizing involves selling your home and relocating to a small, cheaper option. Equity release is a process where you take from your home and it is repaid when your home is sold – usually upon your death.

Any financial decision should be considered carefully, so don’t rush it and speak to an expert. Take time to think about the pros and cons, some of which we’ve explored below.

Moving house

The obvious benefit of equity release over downsizing is that you don’t have to leave your home. When you have reached retirement and are happy where you are, it can be a major upheaval to leave the proximity of friends and neighbours you’ve got to know over the years. Not to mention the fact that it can take years to settle into a new property and make it your own.

Lots of retirees shy away from the prospect of downsizing because they have family they need to accommodate when they come to visit. A smaller house with no extra rooms for the kids and grandkids to stay in can put a stop to those happy family gatherings you’d imagined.

On top of that, there’s the time and stress it could take to sell a house; not to mention the energy needed, which is a key consideration especially if you are in poor health.

On the other hand, equity release allows you to stay in your own home for as long as you wish – either until you pass away or move into a long-term care home. You take money in one of two ways, either as a loan through a lifetime mortgage, or by selling a proportion of your property with a home reversion scheme. Both plans allow you to withdraw a lump sum of cash, a monthly income, or a combination of the two.

Inheritance

Inheritance is often something of concern for retirees considering equity release; they want to leave their loved ones something when they are gone. They are worried interest will eat up the entire property’s worth so there is nothing left to give when it comes to be sold.

However, with some methods of equity release it is possible to ensure there is still an inheritance pot available. Home reversion schemes, for example, enable you to sell percentages of your home, so you retain the ownership of a portion of the property and the money is passed on to your beneficiaries when you die.

Your property could hold the key to a happy and prosperous retirement, helping you to fund anything from a higher monthly income or the holiday of a lifetime to necessary at-home care. Before you embark on any scheme, speak to an expert to find out whether it is the most suitable solution for your circumstances.